COUNCIL BLUFFS, Ia. — A dream matchup came to life here at the Mid-America Center on Saturday evening.

Mat 5, located dead-center on the arena floor, is where it all went down. On one side stood Brody Teske, a three-time state champion for Fort Dodge with a career record of 147-0 entering the finals of the Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic. On the other: Alex Thomsen, a three-time state champ from Underwood, a career mark of 152-0.

The two shook hands and decided to figure out who was better on this night. In the end, the victory went to Teske by way of an 11-9 decision. It was a match for the ages.

It was a bout of unprecedented proportions. There have been many incredible wrestling matchups pitting two all-time great Iowa high school wrestlers, but this was believed to be the first between two seniors each with unblemished career records and with a chance to each win their fourth state titles come February.

The thought of both Teske and Thomsen shaking hands and wrestling has been imagined by Iowa wrestling lifers since their freshman seasons. That year, Teske went unbeaten en route to the Class 3A 106-pound state title while Thomsen won at 113 in 1A. Ever since, the two ripped through their competition at the high school level, running parallel only to one another.

"I can’t imagine this has ever happened," Andy Hamilton, Trackwrestling's community manager and longtime writer for the Register, told the Daily Nonpareil prior to the weekend. "I can’t hardly scroll through my Facebook or Twitter feed without seeing a mention of it somewhere.

"People have been talking about this for three years."

When the 2017-18 season finally rolled around, the thought became more real. Teske opened as the No. 1 wrestler at 126 in 3A while Thomsen held the same position in 1A. Underwood and Fort Dodge crossed paths a handful of times over the last three years, but this year, interest spiked because of the potential showdown.

"If that match comes, then it comes," Thomsen told the Register earlier this season. "If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. That’s just what it is. If it happens, it happens, and I feel pretty confident in my wrestling ability.

"But it would be pretty cool to see that happen."

Still, there was always the chance of one moving up a weight to perhaps avoid the other and maintain perfection. Only six wrestlers in Iowa high school history have ever completed their careers unbeaten. How cool would it have been if two more joined the list in the same year?

Teske and Thomsen never wavered. When speaking with the Des Moines Register earlier this season, both expressed a similar sentiment that wrestling one another would ultimately help each other. It wasn't about the perfect records, both said. They both sought improvement for the future — Teske signed to wrestle at Penn State last month, while Thomsen signed to go to Nebraska.

"I just want to be a better me for the future and let everything else take care of itself," Teske told the Register. "(Thomsen and I are) good friends, and I hope the best for him. We’re in a pretty good spot together, both having a lot of success on the high school scene, both signed to go Division I, both looking to have bright futures ahead of us.

"But right now, maybe it is a good thing. Maybe we could use each other to get better. I’m just going to continue to do what I do and work for the future."

This weekend's tournament in Council Bluffs provided the first opportunity. The Classic has quickly grown into one of the toughest high school wrestling tournaments in the Midwest, attracting talent from Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and, of course, Iowa.

Teske and Thomsen both placed first here last season: Teske at 120, Thomsen at 126. On Friday, they both made weight at 126. Thomsen was given the one seed while Teske was given the two, and away they went, mowing down opponents en route to Saturday's final.

Both advanced without much resistance, until the semifinal round. Thomsen, with a bulky brace on his right knee, handled Olathe South's Jace Koelzer, 8-3, to reach the final. Teske, down 5-2 entering the third period, stormed back with a takedown and two back points to edge Kearney's Phillip Moomey, 7-5, setting the ultimate stage.

The crowd almost came to a whisper once the two shook hands. Thomsen struck first with an outside single-turned-double takedown and led 2-1 after the first. He extended that lead to 7-3 after the second thanks to a pair of late takedowns.

But Teske, much like his semifinal match, stormed back in the third. He opened with an escape, then locked up a cradle that resulted in two takedown plus two backs. Thomsen scored on a reversal and Teske escaped to tie the match at nine, then scored the match-deciding takedown on a re-shot with less than 10 seconds left.

The victory puts Teske at 148-0 overall, and, at least for now, the undisputed best pound-for-pound wrestler in Iowa. His undefeated dream remains alive. Thomsen drops to 152-1, and might get another crack at Teske in Cedar Rapids next month.

It was a match that elicited many "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd, and one that will be talked about in full until they meet again. A dream came true for wrestling fans on Saturday night. It was hard to ask for much more than that.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.